Scottish Executive

Anti-Social Behaviour

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour of residents who are not tenants.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced a new civil order – the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO) – to tackle anti-social behaviour. Local authorities, in consultation with the police, can apply to a sheriff for an ASBO to prohibit an individual over 16 from further anti-social behaviour that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress. ASBOs can be taken out against any resident regardless of whether he or she is a tenant.

  The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill makes provision for an interim ASBO to take effect pending the outcome of the substantive application for an order. The interim order will provide more immediate protection from anti-social behaviour from tenants and non-tenants alike.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of the lack of a permanent presence of HM Customs and Excise staff on Orkney on the Executive’s ability to police the misuse of drugs on the island.

Mr Jim Wallace: HM Customs and Excise work with Scottish police forces, the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Criminal Intelligence Service to provide a co-ordinated partnership approach to tackling drug trafficking in Scotland.

  HM Customs’ presence on Orkney is entirely an operational matter for that organisation. I understand that Northern Constabulary does not consider that HM Customs’ arrangements adversely affect its ability to combat actual drug misuse on Orkney itself. It believes it has an excellent working relationship with the organisation.

European Working Time Directive

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24605 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 23 April 2002, what progress is being made on the study which is being undertaken to identify the impact and resource implications of the Working Time Regulations as they apply to NHSScotland staff; when it expects the report of the study to be published, and what role NHS boards and staff will play in the study.

Malcolm Chisholm: Two separate working groups have been set up to look at the implications and implementation of the Working Time Regulations (WTRs) for NHSScotland. Both are making progress.

  The first group is a partnership working group established by the Scottish Partnership Forum. It is preparing joint guidance (including best practice) for NHSScotland to ensure compliance with the WTRs. It is currently gathering intelligence on the human resource implications, to create an action plan, which could serve as a national framework for implementation of the regulations across the Service.

  The Solutions Group – a Trust Chief Executive led group – is taking forward a national co-ordinated approach to the wider service implications of the regulations. It is identifying practical responses to the working time requirements to help implement projects of potential value as soon as possible. It is also promoting the up-take of good practice and raising awareness of the significance and requirements of the WTRs. The group have recently conducted a survey of trusts to obtain information on the impact of the regulations and the results of this are currently being analysed.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish School of Primary Care plays in supporting nurses and doctors in promoting coronary heart disease awareness.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish School of Primary Care (SSPC) is concerned with developing research that can be used to support patients, clinicians and managers when they make decisions about health and health care. Much of the school’s work in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) is focused on tackling health inequalities and the effects of deprivation. This supports the Executive’s social justice agenda, and will be reflected in our national strategy for CHD and stroke.

  The school is undertaking the evaluation of the cardiac services Managed Clinical Network (MCNs) in Dumfries and Galloway, and this will help to roll out these local MCNs across Scotland as a whole.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any managed clinical networks have been set up to support anaphylaxis and allergy services.

Malcolm Chisholm: The report by the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee Immunology and Allergy Services in Scotland , published in September 2000, recommended the establishment of Managed Clinical Networks for those with immunological and allergic conditions. The Executive would encourage relevant health professionals, patients’ organisations and NHS boards to work together to take this recommendation forward.

Heritage

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make the provision of an archaeological sites and monuments record service a statutory requirement for local authorities.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to bring forward proposals to make the provision of an archaeological sites and monuments record a statutory requirement for local authorities.

Historic Scotland

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what different currencies Historic Scotland’s visitor attractions accept from paying customers.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to answer. His response is as follows:

  Historic Scotland accepts Sterling and the Euro (notes only) at the properties where it charges for admission.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 March 2002, whether permission could be obtained to release the valuation made for the former HM Prison Penninghame under Section 10 of the Valuation Office Agency’s standard conditions of engagement and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No. The answer given to question S1W-24356 reflects the current position.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what categories of information it is (a) able to provide, (b) willing to provide, (c) has decided to provide and (d) is unable to provide for legal or other reasons in regard to the valuation and sale of the former HM Prison Penninghame, detailing the reason behind its position in each case.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  All information which is not subject to the "commercial-in-confidence" requirement will be provided in respect of the sale of the former HM Prison, Penninghame.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of non-domestic rates was included in the costing of the public sector comparator by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Financial Review of the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review .

Mr Jim Wallace: Yes.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25022 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002 in relation to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review , how the figure of 545 staff for the public sector comparator was arrived at.

Mr Jim Wallace: By reference to the latest staffing practice at comparable Scottish Prison Service establishments.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25022 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002 in relation to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review , whether any specific measures were considered to achieve the use of fewer staff.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25022 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002 in relation to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review , whether any specific measures were considered to achieve a more economical use of staff.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25022 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002 in relation to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review , how labour and labour-related costs were calculated in the public sector comparator without separately identifying the grades of staff to be employed.

Mr Jim Wallace: Staffing levels were calculated by reference to the latest staffing practice at comparable Scottish Prison Service establishments. This included the anticipated staffing reductions associated with full implementation of the new staff attendance system and the additional cost associated with the two hour reduction in the working week of operational staff which was agreed in negotiation with the staff union.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25022 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002 in relation to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review , whether it will separately identify (a) pension costs and (b) other wage-related costs, specifying how they are composed and included in the figures for labour and labour-related costs in the public sector comparator, showing cashflow over the 27 years of the model.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The cash flow model does not separately identify these costs.

Sex Offenders

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any new agreements have been made with Her Majesty’s Government following the Steven Beech case.

Mr Jim Wallace: In response to concerns raised about the operation of certain provisions relating to Sex Offenders, the Parliament has given its approval to the UK Parliament amending the Police Reform Bill to the Sex Offenders Order system, as provided under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The amendments are intended to introduce greater flexibility in the application procedures and to enable the mutual recognition of Sex Offenders Orders throughout the UK.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out to evaluate the usefulness of hair analysis in detecting drugs in a person’s system in order to provide corroborating evidence when a drug-assisted sexual assault has been alleged.

Mr Jim Wallace: Research is being carried out in Scotland by the Department of Forensic Medicine and Science at Glasgow University in relation to the detection of benzodiazepines, in particular flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), in hair.

Speech and Language Therapy

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities currently exist in (a) Scotland and (b) the former Grampian Region Council area for the training of speech and language therapists.

Malcolm Chisholm: In Scotland there are two higher education institutions providing pre-registration training which leads to professional qualification with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and state registration with the Health Professions Council. These are Strathclyde University and Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh. The courses include an academic component and clinical placements. The clinical placement component is arranged by NHS trusts throughout Scotland.